Phillies Gain a Game With Win Over Braves

As the Phillies continue their hot ways, so does Ryan Howard. Howard hit his third home run in as many nights tonight to help lead the way against the Braves. The Phillies used four long balls and some good pitching from Kyle Kendrick to win 6-2 and move up another game in the Wild Card hunt.

Carlos Ruiz, Chase Utley, Kevin Frandsen chipped in with solo home runs of their own and the Phillies are only three games back behind the Cardinals, who lost tonight. Frandsen is hitting .329 since taking over for Placido Polanco at third base.

Tonight’s win puts the Phillies three games above .500 for the first time since June 1. The four home runs tonight were a season high for the team who only had six hits in the game.

Kendrick bounced back and pitched into the seventh inning tonight striking out six and allowing only two runs. Kendrick is 6-2 since the middle of August with an ERA just above two.

The Phillies are only three games back with 11 to go. Roy Halladay will be on the hill tomorrow for the Phils.

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Another nice win for the Phillies. With Kyle Kendrick possibly giving his best effort of his career the past two months and stabilizing a rotation with Blanton gone, has given the Phillies an enormous boost. The Phillies, with the combination of solid pitching and timely hitting from key players especially Rollins, Utley and Howard are on a roll 12 wins in the last 15 games.

Unfornately, they started playing winning baseball too late and can’t control theirown destiny. They are running out of games (just 11 left) and at the mercy of the clubs they are chasing. The team to watch is the red hot Milwaukee Brewers with an amazing winning surge of 24 wins out of the last 30 games! Holy Cannoli! Crazy numbers.

At least the Phillies are giving the fans something to cheer about and a bright future to look forward to with a healthy Utley and Howard, solid pitching and new found depth for their bench with Kravitz and Frandsen.

I love the “Big Piece” as the RBI machine (smile). In 64 games played, he is hitting .348 with RISP for a total of 44 RBIs. Altogether, he has an amazing 54 RBIs (plus 13 HRs) . Had he been healthy for a full season, I do believe he would have led the league in RBIs. Way to go Howard.

One thing i worry about this latest winning surge is Rube getting disillusioned. By that i mean he’ll start to think or at least use it as a excuse not to fill the holes in this ballclub in the off season.

Maybe we are better off if he doesn’t try to make any great moves. This year, he made off-season moves to bring in Ty Wiggington, Jim Thome, Laynce Nix and Chad Qualls. Qualls was very good for a few weeks and then collapsed. Thome had a great stretch as a DH but he showed he couldn’t play the field any more. Wiggington seemed to only hit against the Mets and Nix was on the shelf.

I think you have to see what the young players can do. They gave Cloyd a chance and he has 3 quality starts in 5 starts. They gave Horst a chance and he has been pretty solid. They gave Brown a chance and he shows some power, an ability to get on base, a superb arm but also causes you to shake your head with his outfield play sometimes. Not the best judge of fly balls by any means. But Pence wasn’t the best judge of fly balls either. They gave Aumont a shot and he was key during the 7 game win streak although I think 5 games in five days was pushing it. Kratz and Frandsen (not young players) have surprised.

DavidE i agree with a lot of your points. the point on dom brown though is questionable. i wasn’t a big dom brown guy due to the fact of what you said about his outfield play. however in case you haven’t noticed his outfield play has been a little above decent . last night, and i’m not talking about the diving catch he made. i’m talking about the routine catch with his back to the wall late in the game. i pointed out to my wife and son as the play was developing the fact that he tracked the ball very well going back and he knew were he was when he hit the warning track! then he did something i’ve seen him do a lot more this year than the past twoo seasons. he squared himself under the ball with his back to the wall reached up and with BOTH hands in the proper position he caught the ball routinely! that my good friend is a sign that he has worked on his fielding. last year and even this year when he first was brought up he wasn’t or couldn’t do that! but for quite some time now since he botched a play simular to that in right field earlier he has been solid. so i’m pulling for him, his bat will get better also.

I’m sure he’ll explore options this off-season in the outfield and 3B. I’d call the Padres about Chase Headley and get numbers for the three free-agent outfielders… Bourn is one of them. We need a three-team deal I think for us to get Headley but It’d be worth it. I know Utley may try third base out but I’m skeptical yet curious. Rube needs to at least make an effort to get an everyday 3B, outfielder, and/ or bullpen piece.

You have some valid points Dave. However we still need a starting everyday OF. What we here is basically a corp of OF backups and Dom Brown. Frandsden has been great but do you hand over a starting position to him? Kratz has proven to be a adequate backup but he is starting to come back down to earth. Nix started off hot then got hurt no way Rube or anyone could predict that. Nix was bought in here as a bench player with some pop. Qualls was a total bust. One of these pitchers Rube likes to take gambles on just like whats his face. Hopefully Amaro has learned from these mistakes.

I think Utley is moving to 3rd base next year or that is what everybody seems to think. Alternatively, the Phillies could keep Utley at 2nd base and bring up Cody Asche. I think the Phillies have left prospects in the minors too long. If the Phillies think Asche could be their best option at 3rd base next year, then they should bring him up.

DavidE i’m a big asche guy i think he’s our future. but i think some triple a would be good for him he’s only 22. here’s a thoght for ya to ponder. since texas wouldn’t give up the 3rd basement of their future olt, wouldn’t it be nice if rube could get beltre fora year ? i’m not sure what his contract status is but he can’t have more than 1 or 2 yrs left on it! he was signed by texas the same time we signed poly so the end of his contract could be close. he’d be a good stopgap till asche is ready! a really good stopgap. imagine him hitting #4 sanwiched between utley and howard. you’d have right- left up and down the batting order. that would stop these other teams from bringing lefty’s in to face utley and howard the last 2-3 times they hit in a game! they’d either have tokeep changing pitchers or eventually have them face a hitter in our lineup with the hitter having the advantage! that would be a totally balanced lineup.

Amaro has tried to improve the team every single season, so there’s no way he won’t address issues for next year.

As far as his off-season moves being mistakes, I think you’re just using 20-20 hindsight. Qualls was a gamble, possibly, but his career indicated that he certainly wasn’t a very big gamble, and he was dumped as soon as he showed he was over the hill. I have no idea who you’re talking about when you say “what’s his face.” I also can’t think of one single GM who doesn’t take a chance here and there, because a lot of those chances prove to be difference makers. Remember Scott Eyre, who was released by the Cubs?

I have no idea who you’re talking about when you say “what’s his face.”

He means Baez. I could tell by the look on his face. I believe it was 60 Minutes that ran a story on face blindness, those that meet a face (most people have faces, ya know, so I subbed faces for people), and then, don’t recognize it in future meetings. The face blindness portion og the post is provided to add depth and 2qwuality to the post. The point is, he means Baez.

This might be the most effective post I’ve ever added to a message board. Colorful, descript, and informative.

Do you agree with Cholley when he said the team needs a very good closer for 2013, or are you happy with what we have? As for me, with all the horrors that happened in the 8th inning this year. Even if our team is leading by 5 pts I still get chills that whoever is setting up will blow it. Would really appreciate your thoughts to the set-up guy
Situation we have? Thanks! Btw, great game Phil’s! We’re behind you all the way!

No, Pap is our closer. Aumont can work in there as well and I think Bastardo will improve next year. Maybe bring back Madson as an 8th inning option at closer-level money with MAJOR incentives and out clauses. I think you need a good 8th inning guy. Late spring training, you need to figure out who you have.

Do you agree with Cholley when he said the team needs a very good SET UP man for 2013, or are you happy with what we have? As for me, with all the horrors that happened in the 8th inning this year. Even if our team is leading by 5 pts I still get chills that whoever is setting up will blow it. Would really appreciate your thoughts to the set-up guy
Situation we have? Thanks! Btw, great game Phil’s! We’re behind you all the way!

I would see what Bastardo can do as the setup man. If he fails, the Phillies need to go to Aumont. If Aumont fails, you go to Stutes. Bastardo has been inconsistent this year but he has shown signs of his 2011 form. Maybe Horst, Lindblom or DeFratus could be the setup man. The bullpen had a letdown in the Houston series but was solid tonight and was good in the NY Mets series although it got a little shaky on Wednesday night. I think the Phillies have some good pitchers for next year in the bullpen.

David, what is it that you think you have not seen yet? From last year into this year. He implodes and there does not seem to be any logical explanation for the mess.
Yet, other times he seems to be flawless.

I am looking for Stutes and Worley to come back. Hopefully, with the way the staff has been running lately perhaps the management can concentrate on the OF needs.

The key words in Manuel’s statement are “very good.” He doesn’t want anyone mediocre or any kind of question marks like he has now. I’d guess that if Amaro can’t find that experienced and high-quality arm, Charlie will do what he has been doing, juggling bullpen options and changing pitchers more than he’d like to.

Most managers prefer set roles for the pen; Manuel is no different. Part of why the bullpen has been effective lately is how he is using it, but that won’t work over a long season. Every pitcher has to warm up, even if they only face one batter, and that puts limits on how many consecutive times they can be called upon and how many appearances they can make during the season. It’s always better to have one or two reliable setup men rather than a whole army of guys who don’t know just when they’ll be called upon and thus won’t be properly prepared.

yea george i agree! he said very good and even with the promise some of these young guys are showing i’d still do just that . get a proven vet for the 8th that very good. and if the others incuding bastardo do well then we’re looking at an awesome pen with vets and strong young arms. and along those lines i’d get a very good outfielder also, at least one. i posted a reply to daveidE that i thought a trade with texas for beltre would be cool due to the fact his contract is almost up and they have olt. it would give asche a year at triple A and balance our lineup.

I think what Charlie meant was the team needs an Ayala (from O’s), a Grilli (Pirates), a seasoned presence who can come in strike hitters out – no walks period – to get to the closer. Enough of the nail biting. If any of the young pitchers have those qualities it is Bastardo and possibly DeFratus who seems to have the pitching mix to get it done. Bastardo has a ways to go with his confidence and command. It has been mentioned by others but I would think it impossible, as bridges have been burned, but the ideal 8th inning pitcher is even a “rehabbing” Madson who could be given an occasional save…..far fetched but stranger things have happened ?

The Phils seem to be finding ways to win alright.
16 runs is an anomole, hitting a 2 run hr in the top of the 9th to win the game is a rareity this year, hitting 4 solo hrs in a game has also been very rare this year.
But, we’ll take it an look forward to tonights game!